


Dysphoria

by galacticmistake



Series: Strange Happenings in South Park (Whumptober 2020) [11]
Category: South Park
Genre: Gender Dysphoria, Kenny is a trans girl, Other, She/her pronouns for Kenny (South Park), Trans Female Character, Trans Kenny McCormick, Wendy tries to be supportive, Whump, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020, iffy pronoun usage, mention of slurs, unsupportive family figures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:07:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27086071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galacticmistake/pseuds/galacticmistake
Summary: Kenny's been feeling strange lately. But luckily, an answer may be in sight.(Whumptober Day 11: Struggling)(Kenny, Butters, and Wendy are aged up to 16 for a high school setting.)
Relationships: Kenny McCormick/Leopold "Butters" Stotch (implied)
Series: Strange Happenings in South Park (Whumptober 2020) [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1951258
Kudos: 22





	Dysphoria

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Descriptions of gender dysphoria, unsupportive family figures, mention of slurs, iffy pronoun usage

Kenny woke back up in bed the next morning, nothing unusual. However, he still felt… off. 

That feeling of being misplaced in his own body resurfaced. Sure, it had always been there, but it was more intense for some reason today. He couldn’t pinpoint why, though.

As he got out of bed, he noticed that there were fresh bandages on his legs. That wasn’t too strange, he thought, actually kind of expected given last night.

So… what was causing this feeling?

He sighed as he went to the broken dresser, hoping to find something to wear that wouldn’t exacerbate this feeling. And truth be told, there was almost nothing that would work in that sense. The only thing he had that he actually liked was a pink tank top, but he knew that it was too cold for just that, so he also grabbed an old NASCAR T-shirt and some baggy jeans. Didn’t work too well, but hey, it was functional clothing.

* * *

The first half of the school day was hell, to say the least. He managed to trudge through it and not show that something was wrong, but at least now, he had pinpointed what was pissing him off so much.

So far all day, he had been doing well in class participation, but his teachers, who he honestly couldn’t fault for not catching on to this, would respond and continue to address Kenny as “him” and “he”.

Ah, so that’s what was making this worse. But why?

He opted out of lunch and snuck his way to the school counselor, hoping to find some answers.

* * *

“So, McCormick. What brings you in today?”

“Well, to be honest, I feel… out of place.”

“Can you elaborate?”

Kenny sighed.

“I’ve been WAITING for this! So, with the whole out of place thing, it’s in my friend group a little bit. I’m the poorest of my friends, no phone, nothing like that. I’ve had a part time job since the age of about 9 or so to help care for my little sister and make sure she’s safe and healthy. And you know what makes it worse? I’m incredibly loyal to them and I put up with the constant bullshit they cause, but they’re never there for me.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Kenny. Maybe I can help you make some new friends?”

“I have one friend. You probably know him, Butters?”

“Yes, I know him. Sweet kid.”

“Well, that’s not the only part of feeling out of place.”

“Huh?”

“Mostly recently, but ever since like the age of… 5? I’ve felt like my body isn’t really mine.”

“How so?”

Kenny sighed again.

“This is the biggest part of my feeling out of place. This body… isn't mine. I know it’s not, but it’s how people see me and expect me to act. Like, they see me as a boy, and I'll be honest, it’s weird. I can’t even wear tinted chapstick without being called slurs by the man who my mom is married to.”

“Your dad?”

“Debatable. They were in a cult, and I was conceived via a ritual. So, there’s the possibility.”

“Ah.”

“But yeah. All day, teachers have been calling me “he” and “him” and “sir” and it’s just not right. It's super uncomfortable, and every time it’s happened, I’ve wanted to either cry or curl up in the corner and die. It just… isn’t right, but I can’t do anything about it.”

“Oh. Kenny? Have you ever heard of Gender Dysphoria?”

“...no?”

“Well, it’s where you feel extreme discomfort or distress because your gender identity doesn’t match the gender you were assigned at birth. So, you’re saying you’re not a boy. And you’re right. If you feel uncomfortable being referred to as a boy, then you’re not a boy.”

“Oh, that makes a lot of sense.”

“Now, how do you feel comfortable in yourself?”

“Well… I like wearing more stereotypically feminine stuff. Like, my favorite garment is a pink tank top. Found it in the women’s section of Goodwill. I like dresses too. I’ve only ever worn like… 2 dresses? But I liked them a lot. I also like accessories like bracelets and necklaces and hair pieces. Never wore makeup before, but I’d be willing to give it a try.”

“So… you definitely see yourself in a more feminine light?”

“Yes. definitely. And yes, it is very stereotypical, but it’s what makes me happy.”

“Alright then. I wanna test something out. Bear with me a moment?”

“Sure.”

“I’ll have an example sentence, and you’ll tell me if this connects the dots, ok?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’d like you to meet my friend, Kenny. She likes NASCAR and old video games. Her favorite TV show would probably be the older episodes of  _ Terrance and Phillip _ . I meant to give this bracelet to her so that she can try it on herself and see if she likes it.”

Kenny sat in the chair shocked, almost like she had discovered nirvana.

“That’s… perfect. I love it.”

“Do you also like being called ‘girlfriend’, ‘sis’, or anything like that?”

“Yeah. I didn’t correct anyone on it in the past, mostly because it just… fit.”

“I think that solves your identity crisis. Basically, your identity would best be described as male-to-female transgender, or more simply in your case, a trans girl.”

“I’M A GIRL!” Kenny yelled victoriously.

“Yes, you are! Now, go get some lunch, ok?”

“Yeah, no problem. Thank you, by the way.”

“You’re welcome, Kenny!”

* * *

Kenny ran into Butters outside of the counselor’s office.

“Hey, Ken. I was looking for you anyways.”

“Butters… can I tell you something?”

“Sure. I'm all ears.”

“So… turns out I’m trans. You can still call me Kenny or Ken, but i go by she/her pronouns and other feminine terms.”

Butters shook his head in shock.

“Well, that’s fantastic! Congratulations, girlfriend!”

“...girlfriend?”

“You know how girls call each other that?”

“Yeah, I guess. Coming from you, though, it kinda has a more romantic context.”

The two blushed awkwardly, and Butters got an idea.

“Hey, why don’t we talk to Wendy? She knows a lot about this trans stuff, and she’d be more of a help than I’d ever be.”

“Oh, if you think so, then alright.”

The two walked into the lunchroom and immediately found Wendy texting in a corner of the room.

“Oh, hey you two. What’s up?” She asked, kinda uninterested.

“So… Kenny just told me something, and I figured you’d be better at helping.”

“Oh? What’s up Kenny?”

“...just found out I’m trans. I’m a girl, and it took me 16 fucking years to realize it.”

“You just realized today?”

“Yeah…”

“Oh, neat. You’re on Messenger, right?”

“Of course.” Kenny replied.

“Cool. If you have any questions or just need reassurance about anything, my DMs are always open. And congrats on the new self discovery. I have something that might help.”

She reached into her backpack and pulled out an old pink sports bra.

“...thanks?”

“No problem. Something told me to bring it today, so here you go.”

“Yeah, no. I’m grateful and all.”


End file.
